Former Super Eagles and Internazionale striker, Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins, has revealed none of the current speedsters in the football world would be able to match him for pace if he was an active player, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 40-year-old is now enjoying life on the sidelines of football after an eighteen-year career that saw him play for Inter Milan, Newcastle, VfL Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan, Birmingham City, Levante, Seattle Sounders, Shangai Shenhua and Wuhan.
In a recent interview with ESPN UK, the former Super Eagles striker was asked if a series of past and present players could run faster than him during his prime as an active footballer.
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This list included players like Thierry Henry, Micky Van de Ven, Kyle Walker, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben, Gareth Bale, Mohammed Salah, Ronaldo Nazario De Lima, Leroy Sane, Adama Traore, and Theo Walcott.
“I’m faster than Robben but he’s probably better with the ball. Did you forget about me? Wow. I’m faster than Ronaldo(De Lima), even he knows that. There’s no player on this list faster than me. Go back to Inter Milan and ask about me. No way,” Obafemi Martins smirked.
The pacy striker was largely known as “Oba goal” by the Nigerian populace during his playing days. His career started on the front foot with Inter Milan where he won the Serie A once, but recurring injuries saw him become more of a squad player after his move to Newcastle United.
Obafemi Martins celebrates after scoring a late winner against Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final, 2011.
The highlight of Martins’ career in the English Premier League was the famous last-minute goal against Arsenal in the Carling Cup final at Wembley Stadium in 2011. He tapped into an empty goal followinga defensive blunder from Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny, and afterwards claimed it was the easiest goal he ever scored.